Update: As Allie points out in the comments, the press release says five weeks and the sign says two. I’m betting on five.
From the press release (bolding mine)
Route 691 (Jarmans Gap Road) will be closed to traffic at the Route 240 (Crozet Avenue) intersection for five weeks beginning Sept. 15. The closure is necessary so Dominion Virginia Power can relocate its overhead power lines into underground facilities.
Traffic traveling east on Route 691 will be detoured onto Old Trail Drive, then onto Route 250 east and back onto Route 240 south of the Route 691 intersection. Traffic headed onto Route 691 from Route 240 will continue south to Route 250, then west to Old Trail Drive and back to Route 691.
Dominion Virginia Power’s work on its electric service is part of the utility relocation work now under way along Route 691. That utility work is necessary prior to the beginning of construction of the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Jarmans Gap Road improvement project, which is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2011.
The project is designed to improve safety for motorists as well as the bicyclists and pedestrians using that road. The improvements will include wider travel lanes, the addition of bike lanes, and construction of curb and gutter and sidewalk. Once completed Route 691 will have 12-foot wide travel lanes, a four-foot wide bicycle lane on each side of the road, curb and gutter on both sides of the roadway and sidewalk on the northern side of Route 691.
More information about the project can be found on VDOT’s web site.
Related:
If you’re curious about Jarman’s Gap Road Improvement Plans
Tree Work on Jarman’s Gap Road
Isn’t 9/15-29 only 2 weeks? Are the other 3 weeks happening later? Also, won’t everyone just drive through the alley beside the PO and take Carter Street to Jarmans Gap, rather than going all the way to 250?
I really hope someone lets the guy in charge of traffic in the mornings at WAHS/OT stop light know about this. It already take me 15-20 minutes to get my kids to Henley from Old Trail because of mismanaged traffic at that light. I have a feeling there will be a lot of Henley and WAHS students late for school. Ultimately, this will be an improvement for Crozet though, and that is a good thing.
The traffic cops are all new and have no clue how to do the flow properly at OT WAHS and Henley. Now the biggest issue is schoolbus routes: THe one doing JG (691) is ALSO doing a neighborhood near Crozet Park and drives through the closure site to Tabor street. So how will that impact the traveling time for that poor bus 200? I am sure no one has figured out that the Albemarle Public Schools Bus Coordinator does not even KNOW that the VDOT is closing JGR. I mentioned it to Ann Mallek at the CCA meeting last night. Hopefully there is some communication happening….. who knows.
I agree, no one has a clue. Welcome to the start of a new, urban Crozet. Hope y’all like it. If not, well, there are plenty of other places left in Virginia to ruin… As far as traffic at the schools and tract housing, let the traffic lights do their work. that is the whole point of having them. Program them correctly. That is the way it is in the urban world.
For information:
http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/culpeper/jarmans_gap_road.asp
I hate to sound like Ed Strauss, but … It’s only 2 (5) weeks. Progress comes at a price, albeit a temporary price. Although Ed would say that the sidewalks are not historic and they only serve the plastic neighborhoods and progress is the devil, blah blah blah.
Traffic in Crozet seems to be anything between 5-10 cars. All towns should be so blessed.
i think its great that the sidewalks are going in. It was one of those things that attracted us to this area (and obviously we’re not the only ones hoping this sidewalk would go through). a few weeks of road closure isn’t bad at all. I am hoping to leverage that time to actually walk on Jarmin’s road since it will be closed to traffic.
I have been a little indecisive about the “two” bike lanes going in as that means building a much wider street, therefore more land is taken away from existing home fonts. I like the pros of bike lanes, but also feel some consideration. I wonder if a widened one-way would of been a compromise for pedestrians, bikes, driver and existing homeowners.
I personally would still have my kids ride on the sidewalk, teaching them to dismount/stop for pedestrians. There never is enough ‘buffer/barriers’ that separates bicyclists from cars for my tastes. Adult riders must unfortunately fend for themselves against the cagers.
Yeah, but the land they are taking probably isn’t “owned” by the people that own property on Jarmans Gap (disclaimer: I don’t know for sure). I am guessing the land they are using is merely easement land that all homeowners have on their property. Or was imminent domain used in this case?
Edward, I always enjoy reading your posts for a laugh. You seem to think that you have the ordained right to choose an end to all progress or change in an area. Just for a laugh, how do you feel about the colonization of Virginia by the English? Was that ok? It was ok to develop a rural crozet from native american land but with your wisdom we now know that no further change must take place in this area. Thank you, oh great one.
I agree with Jake 100%. If Edward is so concerned about preserving land, then he should move away and give up the land he took away. BTW, I would be rich man for every time Edward mentions “tract housing”.
I doubt that you will ever be rich. But, most people I read here like to complain it seems, for no other reason than they don’t know what they want. They love the area but want to change it. Now that some change if coming they do not want to have to deal with it. The “never
have enoughs of Crozet”. Complain about sidewalks that are not used,
then, complain that there is not enough up close parking. Hopefully
the County will realize this and start ignoring this nonsense. Crozet
was not built by the County. It evolved. Something that is not understood here. Once you get County Planners, Realtors, and,
Developers along with unelected self serving people trying to copy
a concept that worked somewhere else on an area that naturally evolved you get a bedroom community and nothing else. If you are
in such a shape that you need tract housing and County Govt. to provide for you, fine. I also understand your need to make fun of people from behind a keyboard. It must be hard for you to understand that not everyone is like or thinks like you or is as needy
as you. I guess I could laugh about it too but, what is so funny about destroying Crozet???
“I understand your need to make fun of people” … Yeah, you’re obviously a beacon of tolerance and understanding in a sea of inequity.
So the tract housing thing won’t make TractResident rich — but it might make him a good drinking game? Something to do while he/she plots the total annihilation of life here in Crozet?
Snipe away. If you don’t like the message go after the messenger. The thing that gives me hope is that I know that local Govt. will never be able to meet your needs.
I doubt there is any plotting going on. Just the constant wanting…
What are my needs, Ed? Have I posted them on this website?
The need to complain about another person’s opinion.